Santa Sofia, Benevento
Encyclopedia
Santa Sofia is a church in Benevento
, southern Italy
, one of the main surviving examples of Lombard architecture
.
In 2011, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of a group of seven inscribed as Longobards in Italy. Places of the power (568-774 A.D.).
Arechis II of Benevento
around 760, as testified by numerous privileges signed by him, some of which are in the Museum of Samnium
near the church. The edifice was modeled on the Palatine Chapel of the Lombard king Liutprand
in Pavia
and, after the defeat of Desiderius
by Charlemagne
and the fall of the Lombard kingdom in northern Italy (774), it became the national church of the Lombards who had taken shelter in the Duchy of Benevento
. The church was part of a large program of construction which would legitimate Arechis' claim as the highest Lombard authority, after his failed attempt to acquire the title of king and the renaming of the duchy as a principality.
Arechis dedicated it to St. Sophia, like the Hagia Sophia
basilica in Constantinople
; he also annexed a Benedictine female convent, depending from the Abbey of Montecassino and led by his sister Gariperga. The sanctuary would also house the relics of Saint Mercurius
abandoned in 633 near Quintodecimo by the eastern Roman emperor Constans II.
The church was heavily damaged by earthquakes in 1688 and 1702, which caused the original dome and some later medieval additions. Cardinal Orsini, the future pope Benedict XIII
, had the church rebuilt in Baroque style
. The restoration work, started in 1705, transformed the plan from a stellar to a circular one, added two side chapels, and changed the appearance of the apse, of the façade and of the pillars. Further, the frescoes which decorated the interior were mostly destroyed: today only a few fragments, depicting the Stories of Christ and Mary, remain.
In 1957 most of the original appearance was restored, basing on evidence from historical documentation, with the exception of the Baroque façade.
In the exterior, embedded in the 18th century façade, is a Romanesque
portal, whose lunette has a 13th century bas-relief. The latter was originally part of the prothyrum, now destroyed, and depicts Christ enthroned between the Virgin, St. Marcurius and Gregory the Abbot. The portal is flanked by two columns supporting another arch.
Stylistically, there are several influenced. The elevated central body derives from the church of Santa Maria in Pertica of Pavia
, while the articulation of the volumes shows the influence of Byzantine architecture
.
Aside from some modern statues, artworks include the late 8th-early 9th century frescoes, of which only fragments survive in the two side apses: the Annunciation of Zacharias, Mutism of Zacharias, the Annunciation and the Visitation. They were executed by artists linked to the miniature school of Benevento.
The bell tower was built by one abbot Gregory II under the rule of Pandulf III of Salerno, as testified by an inscription in Lombard script, and protected the sepulchre of Arechis II. It crumbled down in the earthquake of 1688 and was rebuilt in 1703 in a different position.
The church has a cloister
from the 12th century, constructed in part of fragments of earlier buildings.
The cloister give access to the Samnium Museum, with sections of remains from Ancient age and Middle Ages. These include an obelisk, one of the two that once decorated the Temple of Isis. The other one can be still seen in the city, in the central Piazza Papiniano.
Benevento
Benevento is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill 130 m above sea-level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino and Sabato...
, southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, one of the main surviving examples of Lombard architecture
Lombard architecture
The term Lombard achitecture refers to the architecture of the Kingdom of the Lombards in Italy, which lasted from 568 to 774 and which was commissioned by Lombard king and dukes....
.
In 2011, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of a group of seven inscribed as Longobards in Italy. Places of the power (568-774 A.D.).
History
The church was founded by the LombardLombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
Arechis II of Benevento
Arechis II of Benevento
Arechis II was Duke of Benevento, in southern Italy, from 758 until his death....
around 760, as testified by numerous privileges signed by him, some of which are in the Museum of Samnium
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
near the church. The edifice was modeled on the Palatine Chapel of the Lombard king Liutprand
Liutprand
Liutprand may refer to:*Liutprand, King of the Lombards ruled from 712 to 744*Duke Liutprand of Benevento *Bishop Liutprand of Cremona, historian...
in Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
and, after the defeat of Desiderius
Desiderius
Desiderius was the last king of the Lombard Kingdom of northern Italy...
by Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
and the fall of the Lombard kingdom in northern Italy (774), it became the national church of the Lombards who had taken shelter in the Duchy of Benevento
Duchy of Benevento
The Duchy and later Principality of Benevento was the southernmost Lombard duchy in medieval Italy, centred on Benevento, a city central in the Mezzogiorno. Owing to the Ducatus Romanus of the popes, which cut it off from the rest of Lombard Italy, Benevento was from the first practically...
. The church was part of a large program of construction which would legitimate Arechis' claim as the highest Lombard authority, after his failed attempt to acquire the title of king and the renaming of the duchy as a principality.
Arechis dedicated it to St. Sophia, like the Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
basilica in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
; he also annexed a Benedictine female convent, depending from the Abbey of Montecassino and led by his sister Gariperga. The sanctuary would also house the relics of Saint Mercurius
Saint Mercurius
Great-martyr Mercurius was a Christian saint and martyr. Born Philopater in the city of Eskentos in Cappadocia, Eastern Asia Minor, his original name means "lover of the Father"...
abandoned in 633 near Quintodecimo by the eastern Roman emperor Constans II.
The church was heavily damaged by earthquakes in 1688 and 1702, which caused the original dome and some later medieval additions. Cardinal Orsini, the future pope Benedict XIII
Pope Benedict XIII
-Footnotes:...
, had the church rebuilt in Baroque style
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
. The restoration work, started in 1705, transformed the plan from a stellar to a circular one, added two side chapels, and changed the appearance of the apse, of the façade and of the pillars. Further, the frescoes which decorated the interior were mostly destroyed: today only a few fragments, depicting the Stories of Christ and Mary, remain.
In 1957 most of the original appearance was restored, basing on evidence from historical documentation, with the exception of the Baroque façade.
Description
The church is on a central plan, with a diameter of 23.5 m, inspired to that of Hagia Sofia. In the center there are six columns, perhaps taken from the city's ancient Temple of Isis, placed at the vertexes of a hexagon and connected by arches which support the dome. The internal hexagon is surrounded by a decagonal ring with eight pillars in white limestone and two columns and the sides of the entrance. The area of the three apses is circular, but the central and frontal parts form part of a star, interrupted by the portal, with four niches in the corners.In the exterior, embedded in the 18th century façade, is a Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
portal, whose lunette has a 13th century bas-relief. The latter was originally part of the prothyrum, now destroyed, and depicts Christ enthroned between the Virgin, St. Marcurius and Gregory the Abbot. The portal is flanked by two columns supporting another arch.
Stylistically, there are several influenced. The elevated central body derives from the church of Santa Maria in Pertica of Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
, while the articulation of the volumes shows the influence of Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
.
Aside from some modern statues, artworks include the late 8th-early 9th century frescoes, of which only fragments survive in the two side apses: the Annunciation of Zacharias, Mutism of Zacharias, the Annunciation and the Visitation. They were executed by artists linked to the miniature school of Benevento.
The bell tower was built by one abbot Gregory II under the rule of Pandulf III of Salerno, as testified by an inscription in Lombard script, and protected the sepulchre of Arechis II. It crumbled down in the earthquake of 1688 and was rebuilt in 1703 in a different position.
The church has a cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
from the 12th century, constructed in part of fragments of earlier buildings.
The cloister give access to the Samnium Museum, with sections of remains from Ancient age and Middle Ages. These include an obelisk, one of the two that once decorated the Temple of Isis. The other one can be still seen in the city, in the central Piazza Papiniano.